Poner Conjugation in Spanish
poner means “put” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Spanish learners meet — it sits at number 16 in VerbFlow’s frequency list. You use it for putting things in a place, for setting the table, and for putting on music or the television. Because it comes up in everyday conversation so often, learning its forms properly pays off from the very first week. This page gives you the complete conjugation of poner — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Yo pongo la mesa para cenar todos los días.” — “I put the table for dinner every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: poner
- English: to put
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, preterite, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative
- Gerund: poniendo
- Past participle: puesto
- Auxiliary: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + the past participle)
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for poner. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pongo |
| tú | pones |
| él/ella/Ud. | pone |
| nosotros/as | ponemos |
| vosotros/as | ponéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ponen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | puse |
| tú | pusiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | puso |
| nosotros/as | pusimos |
| vosotros/as | pusisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pusieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ponía |
| tú | ponías |
| él/ella/Ud. | ponía |
| nosotros/as | poníamos |
| vosotros/as | poníais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ponían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pondré |
| tú | pondrás |
| él/ella/Ud. | pondrá |
| nosotros/as | pondremos |
| vosotros/as | pondréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pondrán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pondría |
| tú | pondrías |
| él/ella/Ud. | pondría |
| nosotros/as | pondríamos |
| vosotros/as | pondríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pondrían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he puesto |
| tú | has puesto |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha puesto |
| nosotros/as | hemos puesto |
| vosotros/as | habéis puesto |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han puesto |
Pluperfect (past perfect)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había puesto |
| tú | habías puesto |
| él/ella/Ud. | había puesto |
| nosotros/as | habíamos puesto |
| vosotros/as | habíais puesto |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían puesto |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré puesto |
| tú | habrás puesto |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá puesto |
| nosotros/as | habremos puesto |
| vosotros/as | habréis puesto |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán puesto |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría puesto |
| tú | habrías puesto |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría puesto |
| nosotros/as | habríamos puesto |
| vosotros/as | habríais puesto |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían puesto |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ponga |
| tú | pongas |
| él/ella/Ud. | ponga |
| nosotros/as | pongamos |
| vosotros/as | pongáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pongan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pusiera |
| tú | pusieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | pusiera |
| nosotros/as | pusiéramos |
| vosotros/as | pusierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pusieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | pon |
| él/ella/Ud. | ponga |
| nosotros/as | pongamos |
| vosotros/as | poned |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pongan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | pongas |
| él/ella/Ud. | ponga |
| nosotros/as | pongamos |
| vosotros/as | pongáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pongan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Gerund | poniendo |
| Past participle | puesto |
When to use each tense
Present indicative
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With poner this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Yo pongo la mesa para cenar todos los días.” — “I put the table for dinner every day.”
Preterite
The preterite is used for completed actions in the past. With poner this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Tú pusiste el libro en la mesa ayer.” — “You put the book on the table yesterday.”
Imperfect
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and background description. For example: “Él ponía música en la fiesta antes.” — “He used to put music on at the party before.”
Future
The future is used for what will happen, predictions and probability. With poner this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Yo pondré la mesa para cenar mañana.” — “I will put the table for dinner tomorrow.”
Conditional
The conditional is used for what would happen, polite requests and hypothetical situations. With poner this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Tú pondrías el libro en la mesa algún día.” — “You would put the book on the table someday.”
Present perfect
The present perfect is used for recent past actions and life experience, formed with haber + the past participle. With poner this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Él ha puesto música en la fiesta esta semana.” — “He has put music on at the party this week.”
Pluperfect (past perfect)
The pluperfect (past perfect) is used for an action completed before another past action. With poner this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Yo había puesto la mesa para cenar antes de la fiesta.” — “I had put the table for dinner before the party.”
Future perfect
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. With poner this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Tú habrás puesto el libro en la mesa para mañana.” — “You will have put the book on the table by tomorrow.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. With poner this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Él habría puesto música en la fiesta ayer.” — “He would have put music on at the party yesterday.”
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With poner this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Es importante que yo ponga la mesa para cenar.” — “It is important that i put the table for dinner.”
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
The imperfect subjunctive (-ra) is used for the past subjunctive: wishes and hypotheticals about the past, and clauses after a past-tense trigger. With poner this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ojalá tú pusieras el libro en la mesa.” — “I wish you put the book on the table.”
Imperative (affirmative)
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With poner this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “¡Pon música en la fiesta!” — “Put music on at the party!”
Imperative (negative)
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With poner this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “No pongas la mesa para cenar.” — “Do not put the table for dinner.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with poner, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Spanish and try to produce it from the English.
- “Yo pongo la mesa para cenar todos los días.” — “I put the table for dinner every day.”
- “Tú pusiste el libro en la mesa ayer.” — “You put the book on the table yesterday.”
- “Él ponía música en la fiesta antes.” — “He used to put music on at the party before.”
- “Yo pondré el libro en la mesa mañana.” — “I will put the book on the table tomorrow.”
- “Tú pondrías la mesa para cenar algún día.” — “You would put the table for dinner someday.”
- “Él ha puesto música en la fiesta esta semana.” — “He has put music on at the party this week.”
- “Yo había puesto la mesa para cenar antes de la fiesta.” — “I had put the table for dinner before the party.”
- “Tú habrás puesto el libro en la mesa para mañana.” — “You will have put the book on the table by tomorrow.”
- “Es importante que él ponga música en la fiesta.” — “It is important that he put music on at the party.”
- “¡Pon la mesa para cenar!” — “Put the table for dinner!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Yo poner la mesa para cenar.”
✓ Right: “Yo pongo la mesa para cenar.”
The infinitive poner never takes a subject. After yo you need the conjugated present form pongo.
2. Confusing poner with llevar
✗ Wrong: “Yo llevo la mesa para cenar.”
✓ Right: “Yo pongo la mesa para cenar.”
Poner is to put or place; llevar is to wear or carry.
3. Using the wrong auxiliary in perfect tenses
✗ Wrong: “Yo soy puesto la mesa para cenar.”
✓ Right: “Yo he puesto la mesa para cenar.”
Spanish perfect tenses are always built with haber, never with ser. The correct form is he + the participle puesto.
4. Dropping the written accent
✗ Wrong: “pondre”
✓ Right: “pondré”
The accent on pondré is part of the spelling in the future. Without it the form looks like a different word, so always write the accent.
5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Ojalá tú pones la mesa para cenar.”
✓ Right: “Ojalá tú pongas la mesa para cenar.”
After ojalá Spanish needs the subjunctive, so use pongas here, not the indicative pones.
6. Using the preterite for a habitual past action
✗ Wrong: “Yo puse la mesa para cenar antes.” (said of a repeated habit)
✓ Right: “Yo ponía la mesa para cenar antes.”
The preterite puse describes one finished action. For something you did regularly in the past, use the imperfect ponía.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on poner. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the yo form of poner in the Present indicative?
- A) pones
- B) pone
- C) ponemos
- D) pongo
What is the él/ella/Ud. form of poner in the Preterite?
- A) pusiste
- B) pusimos
- C) puso
- D) puse
What is the nosotros/as form of poner in the Imperfect?
- A) poníais
- B) poníamos
- C) ponía
- D) ponías
What is the tú form of poner in the Future?
- A) pondrás
- B) pondré
- C) pondrá
- D) pondremos
What is the yo form of poner in the Conditional?
- A) pondrías
- B) pondríamos
- C) pondríais
- D) pondría
What is the él/ella/Ud. form of poner in the Present subjunctive?
- A) pongamos
- B) pongáis
- C) ponga
- D) pongas
What is the yo form of poner in the Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)?
- A) pusierais
- B) pusiera
- C) pusieras
- D) pusiéramos
What is the gerund of poner?
- A) poniendo
- B) debiendo
- C) pareciendo
- D) quedando
What is the past participle of poner?
- A) debido
- B) parecido
- C) quedado
- D) puesto
What does poner mean in English?
- A) to seem
- B) to stay
- C) to put
- D) to have to
Answer key
- D) pongo — the yo form of poner in the present indicative is pongo. The other options (pones, pone, ponemos) are the same tense for different persons.
- C) puso — the él/ella/Ud. form of poner in the preterite is puso. The other options (puse, pusiste, pusimos) are the same tense for different persons.
- B) poníamos — the nosotros/as form of poner in the imperfect is poníamos. The other options (ponía, ponías, ponía) are the same tense for different persons.
- A) pondrás — the tú form of poner in the future is pondrás. The other options (pondré, pondrá, pondremos) are the same tense for different persons.
- D) pondría — the yo form of poner in the conditional is pondría. The other options (pondrías, pondría, pondríamos) are the same tense for different persons.
- C) ponga — the él/ella/Ud. form of poner in the present subjunctive is ponga. The other options (ponga, pongas, pongamos) are the same tense for different persons.
- B) pusiera — the yo form of poner in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) is pusiera. The other options (pusieras, pusiera, pusiéramos) are the same tense for different persons.
- A) poniendo — the gerund of poner is poniendo; it is used with estar for the progressive. The other options are the gerunds of neighbouring verbs.
- D) puesto — the past participle of poner is puesto; perfect tenses use haber + puesto. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- C) to put — poner means “to put” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does poner mean in English?
poner means “to put”. You use it for putting things in a place, for setting the table, and for putting on music or the television. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is poner regular or irregular?
poner is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The gerund is poniendo and the past participle is puesto.
What are the gerund and past participle of poner?
The gerund is poniendo — use it with estar for actions in progress. The past participle is puesto — use it with haber for the perfect tenses, as in he puesto (I have put).
What is the difference between poner and llevar?
Poner is to put or place; llevar is to wear or carry. If you are unsure, check the full table for llevar and compare the meanings in context.
How do I say “I put” in Spanish?
Say “Yo pongo la mesa para cenar.” — “I put the table for dinner every day.” The yo form of the present is pongo, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- poner in the preterite tense — the full table and uses for this verb in its most practised tense.
- poner examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Spanish irregular verbs — every common irregular Spanish verb, grouped by pattern.
- Deber conjugation — another everyday Spanish verb.
- Parecer conjugation — another everyday Spanish verb.
- Quedar conjugation — another everyday Spanish verb.
- Present tense guide — how the present tense works for regular verbs.
- Preterite tense guide — how the preterite works, and when to choose it over the imperfect.
- Verb Conjugator — practise poner with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise poner with the interactive tool.
- Preterite Vs Imperfect — practise poner with the interactive tool.